Charm attachable to an object

ABSTRACT

A charm includes a connecting portion including a stem having a first end and an opposing second end, a stop located at the first end of the stem and a base located at the opposing second end of the stem. The stop is substantially oval in shape, and the connecting portion is made of a bendable material. The charm also includes a decorative portion secured to the base of the connecting portion. The charm is attachable to an object including a hole such that the stem is located in the hole, the stop is located on a first side of the object, and the decorative portion is located on an opposing second side of the object.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/470,584 filed on May 14, 2012, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/980,876 filed on Oct. 31, 2007, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/855,521 filed Oct. 31, 2006.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Charms can be attached to an object or an accessory, such as a shoe, to provide a decorative appearance and individualize the object. It is beneficial for the charms to be easily removed and attached to the object, allowing the charms to be changed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A charm includes a connecting portion including a stem having a first end and an opposing second end, a stop located at the first end of the stem and a base located at the opposing second end of the stem. The stop is substantially oval in shape, and the connecting portion is made of a bendable material. The charm also includes a decorative portion secured to the base of the connecting portion. The charm is attachable to an object including a hole such that the stem is located in the hole, the stop is located on a first side of the object, and the decorative portion is located on an opposing second side of the object.

An assembly includes an object including a hole and a charm. The charm includes a connecting portion including a stem having a first end and an opposing second end, a stop located at the first end of the stem, and a base located at the opposing second end of the stem. The stop is substantially oval in shape, and the connecting portion is made of a bendable material. The charm also includes a decorative portion secured to the base of the connecting portion. The stem is located in the hole, the stop is located on a first side of the object, and the decorative portion is located on an opposing second side of the object.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a shoe including circular holes that receive a charm;

FIG. 2 illustrates a shoe including diamond-shaped holes that receive the charm;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of the charm;

FIG. 4A illustrates the insertion of the charm in a hole of the object;

FIG. 4B illustrates the insertion of the charm with a larger decorative portion in a hole of the object;

FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the charm;

FIG. 6 illustrates a front view of the charm;

FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of a stop of the charm;

FIG. 8 illustrates a top view of a base of the charm;

FIG. 9 illustrates bottom views of alternate shaped stops of the charm;

FIG. 10 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the charm received in a hole of an object having a first thickness; and

FIG. 11 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the charm received in a hole of an object having a second thickness that is greater than the thickness of the object of FIG. 10.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates an accessory or an object 10 including at least one hole 16. In one example, the object 10 is a shoe including a sole 12 and a vamp 14. In one example, the holes 16 are circular shaped. In another example, shown in FIG. 2, the holes 16 are diamond shaped. However, the holes 16 can have any shape, and the object 10 can include any number of holes 16. In one example, the holes 16 are located in the vamp 14 of the shoe. In one example, the object 10 is made of a flexible material such that the holes 16 are expandable. That is, a size of the holes 16 can be increased. A charm 18 is removeably attachable to the object 10.

Although a shoe has been illustrated and described, the charm 18 can be attached to any type of object 10 including a hole 16. For example, the object 10 can be bracelet, a hat, a purse, a keychain, a backpack, a headband, a book cover, a pencil case, a basket, or any type of object that can be personalized with a charm 18.

FIG. 3 illustrates a charm 18 that is removably attached to the object 10. A charm 18 can be received in any or all of the holes 16 of the object 10. Each charm 18 includes a decorative portion 20 and a connecting portion 22. The connection portion 22 includes a base 30, a stem 28 and a stop 32. The decorative portion 20 includes a decorative image 24 that is used to decorate and personalize the object 10. The decorative portion 20 can be made of a molded plastic material, a flexible plastic, a hard plastic, rubber, PVC, or any material. In one example, the decorative portion 20 is made of a material that is harder than the material of the connecting portion 22. The decorative portion 20 includes an underside 26 that faces away from the decorative image 24.

As shown in FIG. 3, the connecting portion 22 includes a stem 28, a base 30 located at one end of the stem 28, and a stop 32 located at an opposing end of the stem 28. In one example, the base 30, the stem 28 and the stop 32 are a single integrated component. In one example, the connecting portion 22 is made of a flexible and bendable elastic material. In one example, the connecting portion 22 is made of silicon. As silicon is soft, it is comfortable if a portion of the connecting portion 22 contacts the wearer and does not damage or scratch the object 10. As the connecting portion 22 is flexible, the decorative portion 20 can be made of any material or have any size.

The stop 32 includes an inner surface 34 facing the base 30 and an opposing dome shaped outer surface 36. In one example, the stop 32 is shaped as an oval, an ellipse, a football, or a surfboard. The stop 32 includes opposing ends 38 and 40 and a central portion 42 that is aligned with the stem 28. The inner surface 34 and the outer surface 36 of the stop 32 curve upwardly from the central portion 42 to the opposing ends 38 and 40. That is, the inner surface 34 of the stop 32 is substantially concave, and the outer surface 36 of the stop 32 is substantially convex. Because of the curved shape of the stop 32 and the elasticity of the material of the stop 32 and the stem 28, the base 30 and the stop 32 can catch the wall of the object 10 so the connecting portion 22 can provide a better fit.

As shown in FIG. 4A, as the connecting portion 22 is flexible and bendable, the stop 32 and the stem 28 can flex to allow passage of the other end 40 of the stop 32 through the hole 16 of the object 10. The stop 32 can change its shape once inserted and received in the hole 16 to allow the ends 38 and 40 of the stop 32 to contact an inner surface 44 of objects 10 having different thicknesses (as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11). In another example, the inner surface 34 of the stop 32 contacts the inner surface 44 of the object 10. As the connecting portion 22 is flexible and bends, the decorative portion 20 can be made of any material, including a non-flexible material, and have any size.

FIG. 4B shows a charm 18 including a decorative portion 20 that is larger than the decorative portion 20 of FIG. 4A. In this example, due to the size of the decorative portion, a portion of the stop 32 near the end 40 as well as the stem 30 bends to allow insertion of the stop 32.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, in one example, the stop 32 of the connecting portion 22 has a length L1 defined between the ends 38 and 40 of about 19 mm, a width W1 of about 9 mm, and a height H1 at the central portion 42 of the stop 32 of about 2 mm.

As further shown in FIG. 8, the base 30 includes a flat upper surface 46 that faces away from the stem 28 that is attached to the underside 26 of the decorative portion 20 and an opposing lower surface 48 that faces and is attached to the stem 28. In one example, the base 30 is substantially circular in shape. The base 30 has a height H3 of about 1.5 mm and a width W3 (or diameter if the base 30 is circular) of about 10 mm.

The stem 28 is substantially cylindrical in shape and has a height H2 (defined between a lower surface 48 of the base 30 and the inner surface 34 of the stop 32) of about 3.5 mm and a width W2 (or diameter if the cross-section of the stem 28 is substantially circular) of about 5.0 mm. Prior to insertion of the charm 18 into the hole 16 of the object 10, a distance D between each of the ends 38 and 40 and the lower surface 48 of the base 30 is about 2 mm.

The above-described dimensions are for example only, and the stop 32, the stem 28 and the base 30 can have any dimension. The dimensions can also be determined based on the size of the hole 16 and the thickness of the object 10.

In another example, the connecting portion 22 including the stop 32 is made of a material that is harder than the material of the decorative portion 20. The connecting portion 22 including the stop 32 are made of a hard rigid material that is not bendable or flexible, and the hole 16 of the object 10 expands to allow passage of the stop 32 through the hole 16. In one example, the connecting portion 22 including the stop 32 are made of a hard material, for example, hard PVC.

In one example, the decorative portion 20 is made of a flexible plastic or rubber. As the connecting portion 22 is not flexible, the decorative portion 20 is able to flex when the stop 32 is inserted into the hole 16 of the object 10. Therefore, if the decorative portion 20 contacts an outer surface 52 of the object 10 during attachment of the charm 18, the decorative portion 20 can bend to allow for the passage of the rigid connecting portion 22.

In another example, the decorative portion 20 is made of a rigid material that is not flexible, the decorative portion 20 must be relatively smaller as neither the decorative portion 20 nor the connecting portion 22 are flexible. That is, the due to the rigidity of the connecting portion 22 and the decorative portion 20, the decorative portion 20 must be smaller to prevent contact with the outer surface 52 of the object 10

In one example, the connecting portion 22 is black. However, the connecting portion 22 can be any color. In one example, the connecting portion 22 is lead free.

As shown in FIG. 9, the stop 32 can also have any non-circular shape. For example, in addition to having an oval shape, the stop 32 can also be shaped as a square, a rectangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, an octagon, or have any shape. Although these shapes are illustrated and described, any shape can be employed.

The flat upper surface 46 of the base 30 is secured to the underside 26 of the decorative portion with an adhesive 50. In one example, the adhesive 50 is cyanoacrylate with an additive.

When attaching the charm 18 to the object 10, the first end 38 of the stop 32 is inserted into one of the holes 16 from outside the object 10. As the stop 32 is flexible, the stop 32 and the stem 28 can bend to pass through the hole 16. Additionally, if the material of the object 10 is flexible, the hole 16 can expand and stretch if needed to allow the stop 32 to pass through the hole 16. As the charm 18 is inserted into the hole 16, the stop 32 flexes and bends to allow the second end 40 of the stop 32 to pass through the hole 16.

The longest dimension of the stop 32 of the charm 18 is greater than any dimension of the hole 16, preventing the stop 32 from falling out of the hole 16 once the charm 18 is positioned in the hole 16. The charm 18 can then be rotated in the hole 16 to position the charm 18 in the desired position.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, once the charm 18 is received in the hole 16, the stem 28 is received in the hole 16, the stop 32 is positioned inside the object 10, and the decorative portion 20 is positioned outside the object 10, exposing the decorative image 24 of the decorative portion 20. If the object 10 is an object that is worn by a person, the domed shaped surface 36 can contact the skin of the wearer.

As shown in FIG. 10, the object 10 has a thickness T1 defined between an outer surface 52 and the inner surface 44 of the object 10. When the stop 32 is inserted into a hole 16 of an object 10 having the thickness T1, the stop 32 returns to its original shape after insertion through the hole 16 and has the length L1. In one example, the ends 38 and 40 of the stop 32 contact the inner surface 44 of the object 10, but the remainder of the stop 32 does not contact the inner surface 44 due to the curved shape of the inner surface 34 of the stop 32. In this position, the stop 32 is not flexed, and about 1.5 mm of the stem 28 is located between the inner surface 44 of the object 10 and the inner surface 34 of the stop 32.

As shown in FIG. 11, the object 10 has a thickness T2 between the outer surface 52 and the inner surface 44 that is greater than the thickness T1 of the object 10 of FIG. 10. When the stop 32 is inserted into a hole 16 of an object 10 having the thickness T2, the ends 38 and 40 of the stop 32 spread apart because of the increased thickness T2, increasing the length of the stop 32 to L2. In one example, the ends 38 and 40 of the stop 32 contact the inner surface 44 of the object 10, but the remainder of the upper surfaced 34 of the stop 32 does not contact the inner surface 44 due to the curved shape of the stop 32. In another example, the upper surface 34 of the stop 32 contacts the inner surface 44 of the object 10, providing a good fit and less irritation to the wearer.

If the charm 18 needs to be removed from the object 10, the charm 18 is pulled from the hole 16. The stop 32 flexes to allow the stop 32 to pass through the hole 16 to facilitate removal of the charm 18 from the object 10. The charm 18 can also be pulled such that one end 38 can be directed towards outside the object 10. The charm 18 is then pulled to remove the charm 18 and the other end 40 from the hole 16. In another example, as the stop 32 is bendable, the charm 18 can be removed by pulling upwardly.

The oval shape of the stop 32 allows for easier attachment and removal of the charm 18 to the object 10. For example, when an end 38 or 40 of the flexible stop 32 is inserted or removed from the hole 16 in the object 10, the fact that the width W1 of the stop 32 is less than the length L1 of the stop 32 allows for easier attachment and removal. For example, if the stop 32 was circular, the width at the center of the stop would make the attachment and removal of the stop more difficult as the hole of in the object would need to stretch to allow entry of the wider the circular stop 32. However, as the stop 32 is oval, the width W1 is narrower than the length L1 from the end 38 to the end 40, allowing for easier attachment and removal of the charm 18, while the length L1 of the stop 32 retains the charm within the hole 16. That is, a stop 32 with a smaller width can be more easily inserted through a hole 16 than a stop 32 with a larger width.

There are many benefits to the charm 18. For one, the soft material of the stop 32 does not irritate the body of the wearer. The charm 18 can also be installed into and removed from the hole 16 of the object 10 easily. Additionally, if the charm 18 gets caught on another object, the charm 18 can easily be pulled away from the object 10. Finally, the upper surface 34 of the stop 32 fits well against the inner surface 44 of the object 10 if the inner surface 44 is curved or changes shape as the stop 32 is flexible.

The foregoing description is only exemplary of the principles of the invention. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, so that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of this invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope and content of this invention. 

1. A charm comprising: a connecting portion including a stem having a first end and an opposing second end, a stop located at the first end of the stem and a base located at the opposing second end of the stem, wherein the stop is substantially oval in shape, and the connecting portion is made of a bendable material; and a decorative portion secured to the base of the connecting portion, wherein the charm is attachable to an object including a hole such that the stem is located in the hole, the stop is located on a first side of the object, and the decorative portion is located on an opposing second side of the object.
 2. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein the decorative portion is one of plastic and rubber.
 3. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein the base, the stem and the stop are a single solid integrated component.
 4. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein the connecting portion is made of an elastic material.
 5. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein the base is substantially circular in shape.
 6. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein the stop includes a domed shaped portion that faces away from the stem and the base.
 7. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein the base is secured to the decorative portion with an adhesive.
 8. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein a longest dimension of the stop is greater than any dimension of the hole.
 9. The charm as recited in claim 1 wherein the connecting portion is made of silicon.
 10. An assembly comprising: an object including a hole; and a charm including a connecting portion including a stem having a first end and an opposing second end, a stop located at the first end of the stem and a base located at the opposing second end of the stem, wherein the stop is substantially oval in shape, and the connecting portion is made of a bendable material and a decorative portion secured to the base of the connecting portion, wherein the stem is located in the hole, the stop is located on a first side of the object, and the decorative portion is located on an opposing second side of the object.
 11. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the decorative portion is one of plastic and rubber.
 12. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the base, the stem and the stop are a single solid integrated component.
 13. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the connecting portion is made of an elastic material.
 14. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the base is substantially circular in shape.
 15. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the stop includes a domed shaped portion that faces away from the stem and the base.
 16. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the base is secured to the decorative portion with an adhesive.
 17. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the stop is inserted into the hole from outside the shoe.
 18. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein a longest dimension of the stop is greater than any dimension of the hole.
 19. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the stem is received in the hole, the stop is positioned inside the shoe and the decorative portion is positioned outside the shoe.
 20. The assembly as recited in claim 10 wherein the connecting portion is made of silicon.
 21. A charm comprising: a connecting portion including a stem having a first end and an opposing second end, a stop located at the first end of the stem and a base located at the opposing second end of the stem, wherein the stop is substantially oval in shape, wherein the base, the stem and the stop are a single solid integrated component; and a decorative portion attached to the base of the connecting portion, wherein the charm is attachable to an object including a hole such that the stem is located in the hole, the stop is located on a first side of the object, and the decorative portion is located on an opposing second side of the object.
 22. The charm as recited in claim 21 wherein the connecting portion is made of PVC.
 23. The charm as recited in claim 21 wherein the base is secured to the decorative portion with an adhesive. 